Disclaimer: You have got to be kidding me.
Ch. 36:
Meredith sat on the floor as Koko got Phoebe settled into the meditation that would get her ready for her vision quest. When she was totally immersed, Koko turned to Meredith.
"So, tell me, young shaman." The other woman said, sitting down across from her. "Do you believe you have what it takes to complete your training?"
Meredith looked down at her hands in her lap.
"I don't know." She whispered. "I turned away from good for so long. I helped my husband do unspeakable things in the name of power. I'm not sure I'm deserving of my powers. My powers were given to me to protect my people and I used them to destroy them."
"You are aware of your destiny?" Koko asked.
Meredith laughed without humor.
"The strongest elemental to ever be born to the tribes." She scoffed. "The joining of European power and Native magic. I was destined to lead my people into the new world Wyatt was to create. Instead, all we wrought was destruction and death."
Meredith saw Phoebe open her eyes to look at her, but ignored her, keeping her focus on the shaman.
"But from my point of view, that hasn't happened yet." Koko told her, adding more herbs to her potion. "That is why you came back, no? To stop the destruction? Why you switched your allegiance from the man in the dark to the man in the light?"
Meredith closed her eyes and a tear leaked out, running down her cheek.
"But I still can't escape it." She said, her voice thick. "I close my eyes and I see the faces of the people I killed. I see cities burning and falling into ruin. I see my daughter's body, bloody and broken on my bed."
"Then that is where we start." Koko told her. "In the past that may become the future."
She dipped a cup into the potion and handed it to Meredith.
"So I won't be seeing my future?" Meredith asked.
"Your pain lies not in your future, but in your past." Koko told her. "You must find it in you to defeat the pain and rage that holds you back."
Meredith hesitated for a moment before closing her eyes and drinking the potion in one gulp. A second later, she fell in a deep trance and Koko moved back to Phoebe.
"Will she be alright?" Phoebe asked.
"Only if she can defeat her inner demons." Koko replied. "Without doing that, she cannot move forward. And for her, remaining in the past would be worse than death."
"Why?" Phoebe asked.
"Because, in the past is the pain that is threatening to consume her." Koko replied, looking at Meredith. "The pain and the guilt. They will destroy her if she cannot let them go."
Meredith found herself in the manor. In front of her, was her younger self and a younger Chris. They both looked to be about 10.
"That's awesome, Chris." Her younger self was saying. "Your mom and dad will be so proud! At least one of us will be happy."
She sat back and pouted while Chris sighed.
"You shouldn't let him get you in trouble." He told Meredith. "You guys could of really hurt yourselves!"
"I'm more worried about what's going to happen when Aunt Piper finds out." Meredith said, wincing.
"Meredith St. James and Wyatt Halliwell, get your butts in here right now!" came a yell from the kitchen.
Meredith winced as she stood up, Chris right behind her. A second later, a young Wyatt appeared in a flash of orbs.
"Don't you think we're in enough trouble as it is without you using your powers to come downstairs?" Meredith demanded, glaring at him.
"Oh, come on, Mer." Wyatt said, swinging his arm around her shoulders. "Are you going to tell on me?"
"Maybe." She told him, shrugging off his arm. "And Chris could. He's the only one not in trouble."
"Chris won't tell on me, will you, Chris?" Wyatt asked, glancing back at his little brother.
Chris winced, but shook his head.
"I'm waiting!"
The three kids quickly moved into the kitchen to find a very unhappy Piper waiting for them.
"Do you two have any idea what it's like to be pulled out of work because two of your children blew up a wing of their school?" she demanded.
"It was an unused wing." Wyatt said nonchalantly.
Piper turned around, throwing her hands in the air. The moment her back was turned, Meredith reached over and punched Wyatt in the arm.
"We're sorry, Aunt Piper." She told the older woman. "It was an experiment that got out of hand. I promise it won't happen again."
Piper sighed and sat down at the table.
"You two are the oldest." She told them. "You're supposed to be setting a good example for Chris!"
"Chris doesn't need any help from us." Wyatt muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Piper asked.
Meredith smiled at Chris and nudged him.
"Tell her." She told him.
Chris smiled shyly and took a piece of paper out of his pocket, handing it to his mother.
"I'm first in my class." He told her.
Piper smiled and reached out to hug him tightly.
"That's fantastic, honey." She said, pulling back to brush his hair back. "I'm so proud of you. For that, you get to pick dinner tonight. What would you like?"
"Can we have spaghetti alfredo?" Chris asked happily.
"What about us?" Meredith asked hesitantly.
Piper looked at her and Wyatt and sighed.
"I suppose we can postpone your punishment until tomorrow." She said. "But starting tomorrow, you both are grounded for three weeks."
Wyatt started to protest, but Meredith reached over and punched him again.
"We understand." She told Piper.
There was a flash of orbs and Leo appeared, very angry.
"What were you two thinking?" he demanded.
"I've already settled this, Leo." Piper told him. "They'll start their punishment tomorrow so we can celebrate Chris's good news tonight. He made first in his class!"
"That's unacceptable." Leo said. "They'll start their punishment tonight. Both of you go to your rooms."
The three kids stared at him.
"Would you three excuse us?" Piper asked quietly. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."
They all nodded and headed out of the room. Wyatt strode out of the room and Chris and Meredith heard his door slam shut a few seconds later. Meredith sighed and held out her hand. Chris took it and they both melted into the shadows. They stayed in the room, hidden, as they listened to Leo and Piper argue.
"What is wrong with that boy?" Leo demanded. "Why does he keep acting out like this? I mean, I can understand Meredith after all she's gone through, but Wyatt?"
"I think, if you paid attention, you'd find that it's usually Wyatt dragging Meredith into these things." Piper told him. "And if you'd been paying attention you would've realized that your younger son is doing really amazing things. You realize he's first in his class? He should've been able to celebrate that tonight!"
"Chris is doing well, but Wyatt has a destiny!" Leo shot back. "How can he fulfill it if he's blowing up buildings?"
The two kids heard Piper coming towards the door, so Meredith quickly shifted them up to Chris's room. Her older self watched as they both sat down on Chris's bed.
"He doesn't care about me." Chris said softly. "He never does. It doesn't matter how well I do or what awards I win, nothing will ever stack up to Wyatt's destiny."
The scene froze and Meredith looked around in confusion.
'Do you remember what you learned this day?' a voice asked.
Meredith looked around, but couldn't identify where it came from.
"That Chris would never be as important as his brother in his father's eyes." She replied.
'And how did you feel about that?' the voice asked.
Meredith hesitated.
"Angry." She said finally. "Chris tried so hard, he wanted Leo's approval so bad, but no matter what, he would never get it. It wasn't fair."
'And to this day, do you still hold this anger?' the voice asked.
"Yes." Meredith replied. "Leo should've seen that Chris was amazing. He should've seen what Wyatt was becoming. He should've stopped it."
'Watch.' The voice told her.
The scene moved forward quickly until, when it resumed it's normal speed, Leo walked into the room and sat down next to Chris, who was asleep.
"I'm sorry, buddy." He said, softly, careful not to wake his son. "I know I don't always show it, but I am so proud of you. You are doing so much better than your mother and I ever could've imagined."
Leo leaned down and gently kissed his son's forehead before slipping out of the room again.
'What you viewed as an uncaring father, was simply a father who couldn't seem to connect to his younger son.' The voice said. 'It didn't mean that he didn't love this son as much as the other, just that he had a harder time telling him. Do you remember what happened three weeks from this night?'
Meredith nodded.
"We had a family dinner, with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins to celebrate Chris's accomplishment." She said.
'A dinner that was set up and planned by a proud father.' The voice told her.
"I didn't know." Meredith whispered.
'Perhaps, then, it is time to forgive the man who had just as hard a time understanding you as you did him.' The voice said.
Meredith didn't say anything as the scene faded and she moved into another memory.
In the manor, Paige watched as Leo gently placed Piper's head on top of the cabinet in the conservatory, next to some potted plants.
"Ow." Piper said as Leo slowly turned her head to face outward. "Easy, easy. Ow. Easy. Watch the hair."
"Sorry." He told her, stepping back.
Paige reached up and checked Piper's head.
"Doing okay up there, honey?" she asked.
"Actually, I feel a little woozy." Piper replied.
"Maybe it's because we have you up too high." Leo suggested. "Are you sure you don't want me to move you down lower?"
"No." Piper replied. "I don't want Wyatt and Mer to see me like this. They will freak out."
"Well, you know, on the plus side, this is a great way for Wyatt and Mer to get out and socialize." Paige said brightly.
"If I had legs, I would kick you." Her sister told her.
Paige and Leo remained silent. Piper eyed the plant to the left of her, which was obscuring her vision with its leaves.
"Could you move this for me, please?" she asked.
"This one?" Leo asked, pointing.
"Yeah." Piper replied.
Leo smiled and removed the plant from the cabinet.
"You know, maybe I should just go upstairs and check the book and see if there's a spell that can fix this." Paige suggested.
"Or we can find the little child that conjured the horseman and vanquish it." Piper replied.
"You think that would reverse the spell?" Leo asked.
"I'm hopin'." Piper replied.
"I keep getting this weird feeling that it's one of the students in my class." Paige said.
"Why?" Leo asked.
"Because, who better to turn than one of the most powerful kids there?" Paige replied.
"What do you suggest?" he asked her.
"I think we should bring them here." Paige said.
"What?" Piper demanded.
"Yeah, if we get them away from school, they can't conjure the horseman." Paige explained. "That way, we keep him here long enough to figure out who it is."
"I say it's not a bad idea, since you're targets now." Leo said.
"Uh-oh." Piper said. "Phoebe and Meredith…"
"I'll go get them." Leo said.
"No." Piper protested. "I do not want Wyatt to have two headless parents. Send Chris."
Chris paced the floor of P3, Mer in his arms with her head on his shoulder, as a demon in a black cloak held his hands over Wyatt in his playpen, beams of white light shining down on the boy. There was a flash of orbs and Leo and Paige appeared. The demon looked up and stopped what he was doing, shimmering out just as Paige and Leo realized what was in front of them.
"What the hell is going on?" Leo demanded angrily as he quickly moved to the playpen.
"Wait." Chris pleaded. "I can explain."
Leo leaned down to check on Wyatt.
"You okay, buddy?" he asked.
"What was he doing?" Paige demanded.
"Nothing." Chris said. "I mean, nothing bad. I swear."
"Nothing bad?" Paige repeated angrily, striding over and taking Mer from him. "He's a demon!"
"But he wasn't hurting him." Chris replied quickly. "I promise. Wyatt's shield wasn't even up!"
"I trusted you." Leo said, growing more angry by the second. "I trusted you. I vouched for you!"
"Look, just let me explain." Chris pleaded.
"Get out of here." Leo growled.
"Paige, please." Chris said, appealing to the youngest Halliwell sister.
"NOW!" Leo yelled.
Chris looked at the Elder and knew it wouldn't do any good to argue, so he orbed away.
"Is he okay?" Paige asked, stepping closer to the playpen.
"Yeah, I think so." Leo replied, running a comforting hand over Wyatt. "Listen, I'm gonna take them up there, where it's safe. Do you mind-?"
"Getting Phoebe and Meredith?" Paige finished, handing Mer over. "No, not at all. I just hope there's all of them to get."
Leo picked Wyatt up and held him close, orbing the three of them out.
Koko took another pinch of herbs and added it to the cauldron.
"So if you're so innocent, why are you hiding out?" Phoebe asked her.
"I'm protecting myself." Koko replied.
"From what?" Phoebe asked. "You're a student. The bad guy is only after the teachers, right?"
"I'm not protecting my body." Koko said. "I'm protecting my powers. I sense someone trying to invade mine, to use them for themselves."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Phoebe demanded.
"You're an empath." The shaman told her. "You tell me."
Phoebe concentrated for a moment.
"I can't tell." She admitted.
Koko closed her eyes, doing her own reading of Phoebe.
"It's because you're conflicted, questioning your own magic, your very future." She told her. "It's affecting your powers."
"I'm not questioning my future." Phoebe insisted.
Koko just looked at her.
"Okay, maybe just a little bit." She admitted grudgingly. "But how do you know that?"
"The wolf is a pack animal." Koko explained taking another cup and dipping it into the cauldron. "But constantly searching for something she craves…" she got to her feet, the cup in her hand, and made her way toward Phoebe around the fire. "…but cannot find. Seeing it means you're searching, too."
She held out the cup.
"Drink this." She told Phoebe. "Take the vision quest. There you will find the answers we both seek."
Phoebe eyed the liquid and shook her head.
"I don't care what Meredith says." Phoebe told her. "I'm not drinking that."
"No?" Koko said, raising an eyebrow. "Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick."
She held out the cup and Phoebe took it. She drank it and the world dissolved into white.
Phoebe walked down the stairs of the manor. In front of her, a swirling white veil blocked the doorway to the Conservatory, keeping what was beyond from her view.
To her right, a demon appeared and called a fireball, throwing it at her. She ducked and the fireball flew over her head. The demon lunged towards her and Phoebe reached out, deflecting him, and tossed him toward the dining room table. He fell on it, breaking the flower vase, and disappeared.
A second demon appeared and grabbed Phoebe from behind. She gasped and grabbed him by his head, flipping him over her shoulder. He disappeared as he headed towards the wall.
Phoebe stood there, breathing heavily. She finally stepped back and made her way towards the veil. As she got closer, a third demon jumped down from ceiling. He landed on her and stabbed her in the shoulder with an athame.
Phoebe fell to the ground of the cave.
"Ow." She moaned. "Oh." She checked the wound on her shoulder as she sat up. "You didn't tell me I could get hurt on this vision quest."
"You didn't ask." Koko told her. "The vision is of your future, Phoebe. It's no less real than anything else."
"And no less dangerous." Phoebe said. "Great. More demons in my future. It's exactly what I wanted."
"But are there any more beyond the light?" Koko asked. "That's what you really want to see, isn't it?"
Paige choose that moment to orb into the back of the cave behind Koko.
"There you are." She said. "I've been looking all over for you, Phoebe." She saw the wound on Phoebe's shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened? The horseman?"
"No." Phoebe replied. "Uh…my inner demons, apparently."
"Well, it's good to see at least you have your head, unlike Piper." Paige said.
"What?" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Yeah." Paige said. "The horseman got her, but you know, she's doing pretty good, considering the circumstances. A little grumpier than normal, but hey – anyway, you really should get out of here before, you know, you get chopped."
Phoebe thought about it for a second.
"I think I should stay here." She said finally.
"Why?" Paige asked.
"Because Gideon put me on this path for a reason." Phoebe replied. "And I believe that there are answers here. Plus, I don't want to leave Meredith on her own. We'll be okay. And you know where to find me if you need me."
"Okay, but…" Paige hesitated, looking at Koko, "remember that she's a suspect, too."
Paige orbed out, leaving Phoebe alone with Meredith and Koko, who dipped the cup back into the cauldron.
"Ready to try again?" she asked, holding the cup out to Phoebe.
She took it with a sigh and looked over at Meredith, who had tears running down her cheeks.
"Is she alright?" Phoebe asked.
Koko looked over at Meredith as well, sympathy in her eyes.
"The things she must work through are very difficult, but if she wants to complete her training, she has to move past it." She told Phoebe. "But I have faith in her."
"How can you?" Phoebe asked. "You just met her."
Koko smiled at her.
"There must have been some reason my future self took her on as a student." She told her before nodding at the cup. "Now, drink."
Phoebe nodded and drank the potion, quickly falling in a trance. When she was sure Phoebe was settled, Koko returned her focus to Meredith.
Meredith looked around, trying to place where she was.
"Wait a minute." She said. "This is our base after the war started. Why are we here?"
'Watch.' The voice told her.
Chris walked into the room and Meredith followed after him, dragging a woman with a bag over her head behind her. They were about 18, and they already looked worn and tired beyond their years.
Younger Meredith pushed the other woman to the ground and her older self saw a flash of a distinctive birthmark.
"Oh great." She muttered. "I remember this day. This is when we first met Bianca. Can you please explain why we're here?"
'Watch.' The voice stressed.
Younger Meredith pulled Chris to the side, never taking her eyes off Bianca.
"This is a bad idea, Chris." She whispered. "We should just vanquish her!"
"We might be able to learn something from her." Chris countered. "We need all the intel we can get."
"She's a Phoenix." Meredith hissed.
"They're neutral, just like you, Mer." Chris told her. "They can choose to serve either good or evil. Just because most of them choose evil, doesn't mean one of them couldn't choose good. Besides, if we're going to win this, good and evil need to work together."
"And what, maintain the status quo?" Meredith demanded. "Our generation was supposed to herald the coming of a new age. An age of good!"
"If we don't learn to work together, we're all going to lose, good and evil." Chris told her. "If Wyatt has his way-"
"It's not Wyatt!" Meredith said, exasperated. "I know he's being an ass right now, and I know you two have never really gotten along, but that doesn't make him evil!"
"And Melinda's death was what?" Chris demanded. "A fluke? The first time we let her out on her own since Mom died and she just happens to be attacked by a horde of demons? I don't think so. And the only people who knew where she was going was you, me, Dad, and Wyatt. I didn't betray her, I don't think you did, and Dad's too busy wallowing in his own grief to betray anyone. That leaves darling Wyatt."
"Wyatt wouldn't kill his own sister." Meredith told him.
"He would if he thought she was a threat to him." Chris replied.
Meredith sighed and rubbed her face.
"Look, I don't want to fight with you about this again." Meredith said. "Let's just get this over with. And if she makes even one wrong move, I will kill her."
"Agreed." Chris said.
They moved over to where Bianca lay on the ground and their voices faded.
'Do you know why you needed to see this memory?' the voice asked.
Meredith looked around and spotted a shadow nearby that voice seemed to be emanating from.
"Honestly?" she said. "I have no idea. Unless I'm pissed at Chris for being a stubborn jerk. And if I'm going to be pissed off ever time he's a stubborn jerk, I'll spend the rest of my life pissed at him."
'Christopher is not the one you are angry at when you view this memory.' The voice told her.
"Bianca?" Meredith suggested.
'No.' the voice said.
Meredith sighed.
"Myself." She said finally.
'Why?' the voice asked.
"Because I was naïve." Meredith whispered. "I saw the evidence even before Mel was killed, and I did nothing. I'm as much to blame for Wyatt coming to power as anyone. I'm probably the only one who could've come close to matching him for power and I just sat back and did nothing. I was so convinced of his destiny that I just let him take our world and crush it without even lifting a finger."
'You couldn't have known what was in his heart.' The voice told her.
"Chris did." Meredith protested. "He looked at his brother, his flesh and blood, and knew the evil there. The evil I made myself not see."
'You are too hard on yourself.' The voice told her. 'We never want to believe the worst of those we love.'
"I should've." Meredith said harshly.
'You are not omnipotent.' The voice said just as harshly. 'You made a mistake, one you are trying to fix. Until you can move past this, it will hold you here.'
"It's easy for you to say!" Meredith said angrily. "You didn't see your whole world collapse around you!"
'But it hasn't yet.' The voice said calmly. 'You have to let this go so you can stop it from happening.'
Meredith looked around at the frozen scene. Chris had his hand on her younger self's arm as they turned towards Bianca.
"Wyatt never loved me ever, did he?" she asked softly. "I put Chris through hell for someone who only wanted me for the power I could bring him. How can I forgive myself for that?"
'By remembering that he's forgiven you.' The voice told her gently.
Meredith walked over to the young Chris in front of her. She reached out to touch his face and her hand went through him.
'This is the past.' The voice told her. 'It can't hurt you unless you let it.'
Meredith nodded and brushed a tear from her face.
'Come.' The voice said. 'There is still much you must deal with.'
The scene faded again.
Piper heard a door open from her place on the cabinet and strained to see who it was.
"What's that?" she called. "Who is that?"
"Don't worry, it's just me." Paige called from the open door to Magic School as students filed through it. "And some of the more unusual suspects."
"Wait, you think one of us is responsible?" Zach asked.
"You didn't know she thought that?" Slick asked mockingly. "What kind of telepath are you, anyway?"
He slapped the other boy upside the head.
"Stop picking on me!" Zach told him, annoyed.
"Yeah?" Slick replied. "Or what?"
"All right, guys, knock it off." Paige told them. "You're in my house."
"The Halliwell Manor." Herman, the conjurer, said, looking around. "I don't believe it. It's just like in the texts."
"It looks like my grandma's house." Quentin said.
"All right, all right, move it along, people." Paige said, herding them forward. "Let's go. Other room."
The door closed, and Paige followed the students into the Conservatory. Piper watched from her perch as the students filed in.
"All right, is everybody here?" Paige asked.
"Yes, ma'am." Herman replied.
"Kiss-ass." Quentin coughed.
"Hey!" Paige exclaimed. "Watch your mouth!"
"Whoa, it's Piper Halliwell!" Herman exclaimed, spotting the head on the cabinet.
"Yeah, but only part of her." Slick said. "And not the good part, either."
"Slick." Paige warned.
"Can it." Piper said firmly.
"Okay." Paige said. "Here's the deal, people. We know that one of you is behind this. So nobody is gonna leave here until we figure out who it is."
The students all groaned.
"So far, nobody has gotten killed." Paige said.
"Not yet, anyway." Piper added.
"And so far this has just been a really stupid prank." Paige continued. "So please, let's not let it go any further than that."
"Is Gideon gonna shut down the school?" Zach asked.
"Not unless he's forced to." Paige replied.
"Why don't you start with the conjurer?" Quentin suggested.
"Me?" Herman exclaimed. "What about you, Quentin? You're the Sleepy Hollow buff."
"Yeah, but Slick's the shapeshifter." Zach pointed out.
"Hey!" Slick protested. "Screw you, Zachary!"
"Wait, you guys." Piper said. "Just stop it, guys."
Paige turned and saw Chris motioning to her from the doorway near the kitchen.
"Seriously, why don't you just admit that you did it?" Quentin said to Herman.
"I would never do anything to harm a Charmed One." Herman shot back.
"I'll be right back." Paige whispered, leaning up to Piper.
"Where you going?" her sister demanded.
Meanwhile, the students continued to bicker.
"You're passing the blame like it's going out of style." Quentin said.
"Who you talking about 'passing the blame'?" Zach demanded.
"I'm not talking to you!" Quentin shouted.
"Hey!" Piper shouted.
"Hey, won't you calm down?" one student yelled.
"Quentin, shut up!" another shouted.
Piper whistled loudly and the kids froze.
Paige stormed into the kitchen where Chris waited for her, his back to the door.
"What are you doing here?" Paige demanded.
"I need your help." He said, turning around.
"My help?" Paige demanded. "That's rich, with what you pulled. Listen, I have enough juvenile delinquents to take care of, thanks."
"Hey, please." Chris pleaded. "Just hear me out. I'm running out of time."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Paige demanded.
"Exactly that." Chris replied. "Don't you see? That's the only reason why I went to the demon. He can scan for evil, and maybe figure out who's gonna turn Wyatt, since we haven't been able to."
"Okay, you're not making any sense." Paige told him.
"Paige, listen to me." Chris told her. "I need you to trust me. And I need you to get Piper and Leo to trust me, too." He looked at her earnestly. "Before it's too late."
Paige studied him for a moment , but they were interrupted by shrieks coming from the next room.
"The Horseman!" someone shouted.
"Paige!" they heard Piper yell.
Chris and Paige both ran for the Conservatory.
"What happened?" Paige called.
They arrived just in time to see the Headless Horseman in the Conservatory. He headed towards Paige and swung his sword, but Chris pulled her down just in time, getting her safely away as the Horseman's sword hit the door frame. Meanwhile, the students screamed and scrambled out of the way.
With a swirl of his sword, the Horseman headed for the Conservatory doors. They flew open and the Horseman rode out into the back yard, the doors closing behind him.
The students gathered in the center of the Conservatory.
"Everyone all right?" Paige asked.
"I think so." Herman replied.
"Head count." Piper said, pausing. "No jokes, just do it."
She spotted Chris standing next to Paige.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Just trying to help." Chris said.
Paige finished the count and sighed.
"They're all here." She reported.
Gideon came through the doors from Magic School, which were now open.
"I heard the alarm." He said, coming down the stairs. "What's this doing open?"
"One of the students must have opened it without my seeing." Paige said.
"And the Horseman?" Gideon asked.
"Gone…" Chris replied, pointing to the conservatory doors, "out those doors."
Gideon took a deep breath.
"You have to stop him." He told them.
"Okay, well, we have to figure out – " Paige started.
"No." Gideon interrupted. "You don't understand. People on the outside aren't protected like we are at school. They'll die."
"Then we need Phoebe." Paige said.
"I'll get her." Chris offered.
Without waiting for a reply, Chris ran up the stairs and through the door.
"But you can't wait for her." Gideon told Paige. "You have to go after the horseman now."
"By myself?" she scoffed. "No. I can't vanquish him."
"You don't have to." Gideon told her. "All you have to do is lead him back to the school so that at least nobody will be killed."
Paige nodded.
"Don't let your concerns about Richard make you question yourself." He told her. "You can do this. I'll help you."
He held out his hand and Paige took hold of it as they both orbed out. When they were gone, Slick took a step out of the Conservatory, buy Piper stopped him.
"Ah, ah, ah." She called. "Where are you going?"
He turned and looked at her incredulously.
"Don't give me that look." She told him. "I still got a month. I could turn you into a toad."
Slick seemed to think about this.
A man, carrying a bag, ran through a dark alley, with a man with a gun chasing after him. He stopped and fired for shots at the man with the bag. He promptly dropped the bag and continued running.
The man with the gun ran to the bag to pick up the bag. He kneeled down and checked the contents. Behind him, a horse neighs.
In the fog, the Headless Horseman appeared and galloped through the alleyway.
The man stood up and turned around in time to see the swinging blade headed straight for his neck.
"NO!" he shouted.
In the back of the alleyway, Paige and Gideon orbed in. They saw the Horseman swing his blade and cut off the man's head.
The body fell to its knees and then down to the ground as the Horseman galloped away. As he passed Paige and Gideon, Gideon quickly conjured up a door to the school, opening it in time for the Horseman to run through it and back into the school.
The door closed and disappeared.
"Well, at least we got him back?" Paige said.
"Not soon enough, I'm afraid." Gideon said grimly. "The death of an innocent means the death of Magic School."
A/N: Okay, so this is supper long. I hope that makes up for the sporadicness of the updates. Let me know what you thought.
Abbey